This invention relates generally to micro electromechanical system (MEMS) methods and apparatus.
MEMS devices and apparatus are known in the art. Much work (with few resultant commercial breakthroughs) has been directed at small (a very few microns) systems that typically use semiconductor materials and processing techniques. It has also recently been proposed that printed wiring boards and corresponding fabrication techniques could be utilized to realize meso-scale MEMS structures (on the order of, for example, 25 to 100 microns). For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/929,750 as filed on Aug. 14, 2001 by the same assignee as this application describes a Micro-Electro Mechanical System that can be fabricated within the context of a printed wiring board using high density interconnect substrate technology.
One particularly useful structure to consider in this realm comprises a cantilevered beam. Such a structure can be utilized to effect various useful devices including, for example, radio frequency switches, variable capacitors, and so forth. Unfortunately, to date, no acceptable proposals have been made for a way to realize such a mechanism while working at the meso-scale level with organic printed wiring board and high density interconnect substrate technologies.